Academy Login
Buy Yorkshire 2016 – roundup of day two
It’s the second and final day of the UK’s biggest B2B conference outside of London, and our team has again been out mixing and mingling to bring you insights from Buy Yorkshire 2016.
Missed day one? Read our full roundup here.
And now onto the roundup and reflections from day two….
[Reflections on talks by Namrata Murlidhar (LinkedIn), Tamara Littleton (Emoderation) and Terry Waite (Hostage UK) to follow soon…]
Matt Wood – ‘Future Of Work’ (Katy)
Matt Wood is the Vodaphone Senior Product Manager for Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud and Enterprise Application products , so I was excited to hear what he predicted would revolutionise the workplace in the years and decades to come. Initially, Matt began his seminar with a disclaimer, of sorts, stating that those who often try and predict the future, end up falling on their own sword in years to come.
By 2020, half the workforce will be made up of millennials. In order to ensure that its 150,000 workforce remain happy, Vodaphone carried out an experiment to see how much of an impact the workplace really had on performance.
Team 1 and Team 2 were both given a similar style teambuilding exercise. Both did well, however, Team 2 outperformed Team 1 across the board. So what was the difference? Team 1 comprised of Vodafone’s newest graduates and Team 2 comprised of 13-16 year olds. But how I hear you ask? Well, Team 2 completed their teambuilding activity within a virtual gaming environment.
The outcome shocked a lot of delegates. As a millennial myself, I was surprised. But it makes sense – the virtual world is one most younger people are now very comfortable in. It highlights how future workplaces may be headed.
Virtual reality, robots and 3D printing were the three key advancements in technology that Matt was happy to predict would become ‘normal’ parts of the office (and other types of working) environment – for example, university hospitals using virtual reality headsets to allow students to train in a safe yet realistic environment.
Another prediction Matt was happy to make was that data will soon drive decisions in the workplace. Teams will be able to streamline processes using virtual reality, they will be able to create 3D printed prototypes in their own office and they will be able to pull data from anywhere very quickly. Therefore, the decisions that will be made as a result of this will not be made based on hierarchy or business structure, they will be made from the data and evidence that is in font of them.
Matt left us with two things that he was happy to predict:
- None of this will be possible without superfast global connectivity
- Businesses will need to have a base camp using unified communications to build their workforce on top of.
When I asked Matt what he thought the limitations would be to this notion that by 2025, over 50 billion things will be connected to each other. He replied by saying that if the infrastructure is in place, the only limitations to this are the ones we put on ourselves.
Billion Pound Panel (Katy)
The Billion Pound Panel is always one of the main talking points at Buy Yorkshire. With panellists Adam Beaumont, Nigel Farage, John Hays, Najib Nathoo and Richard Corbett led by chair Jonathan Straight, it promised lively debates on key issues like the EU Referendum.
Many topics were discussed, from the obvious Brexit (prevalent throughout the two days), Leeds United through to the importance of a university degree for employment. Jonathan did a great job of chairing the debate and ensuring that the questions were answered in a balanced and well rounded manner. All in all it was a really fantastic debate and one that definitely had people talking!
Angus McKenna – Sky’s Major Investment in Leeds: Why did we choose Leeds, and how are we doing it?
You may have noticed that over the past few months there has been a lot of change down at Leeds Dock. One new resident being the telecommunications giant, Sky.
So why did they move there? What was the incentive to open a new office in Leeds? Well, Angus McKenna, Head of Technology at Sky, explained all in his seminar on the Vantage Motor Group Stage.
Angus started the seminar by explaining the key reason why Sky decided to open a new Digital office in Leeds – quite simply, because of the talent. Although highlighting that it was not a decision that they made lightly, several factors led the team to agree that Leeds would be the best location, allowing them to recruit the best talent locally and also from across the M62 corridor.
Angus went on to explain that Sky were keen to create a ‘Digital Environment’ that allowed the different Sky teams that are now working in the new office to ‘beg, borrow and steel’ resources from each other. Reinforcing that they wanted the new office to be a tool to its employees, a collaborative space where everyone is encouraged to ‘get stuff done’, from writing on the walls (all of which are covered in white vinyl) to draft out and develop ideas, to holding team meeting breakout sessions where they can talk about issues and in the same conversation make a plan to solve it and move forward, collaborating with other departments as and when necessary.
Angus also touched on the high recruitment drive that Sky went through when opening up the Leeds Dock office. Their target of 600 new employees is something they are still working towards, attracting talent from the whole of the North and not just Yorkshire, whilst also relocating some of their existing staff members from both London and Scotland.
Finally, Angus spoke about why Sky are often hosting digital events in the new Leeds Dock offices. They believe that it is important to become involved in the Leeds digital community as much as possible and give something back. This is why they are currently holding their Software Academies and encouraging members of the community to attend workshops, talks and seminars, highlighting once again that the office space is not just a tool for their employees, but for the whole of the Leeds digital community.
Jonathan Straight ‘Confessions of a spex maniac: 15 ways to turbo charge your business’ (Jonny)
Straight-talking Jonathan walked us through his career (which includes founding Straight plc – the UK’s leading supplier of waste and recycling container – then exiting for an 8-figure deal, before moving on to work as a plural non-executive director, TV presenter and occasional street photographer).
He went on to share his tips for achieving business success, some of which I have captured below:
- Keep yourself in good shape and be healthy.
- Take a day off once a week and switch off email etc.
- Recognise negativity and get rid of it, spot it and deal with it. Start each day with a positive mindset.
- Tenacity – don’t give up on your dreams and ambitions.
- Reinvention – keep evolving and innovating to keep customers engaged.
- Humility – exercise humility, however great you are doing. Lots of great examples in the bible, Moses, Solomon and Joseph.
- Be generous – both personally and through your business.
- Be reflective – Jonathan keeps a private diary which really helps him reflect.
Questions from the floor:
- Q: What’s the one trait an entrepreneur needs? A: tenacity.
- Q: Describe success. A: Setting out to achieve something and achieving it.
So… what does the future hold for Jonathan Straight, the man who owns between 350-400 pairs of spectacles? (As a qualified optician and fellow specs wearer, I love this!)
He is giving some thought to writing a book entitled “Bin There” and is also looking at opportunities to develop his television career (Jonathan is a presenter on local TV station, Made in Leeds).
Here he is talking about iconic Leeds building, Temple Works [click to view on YouTube]:
